Teacher Update: Teaching Secrets: Let Them Play

[Howard Hartman]

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Republishing of Teacher Update e-newsletter and access to articles courtesy of edweek.org

	August 26, 2010
Top Story TOP Sponsored by: Teacher Leaders Network + Teaching Secrets: Let Them Play Kindergarten teacher Jane Ching Fung says that, for younger students, undirected play time is more than fun and games—though it's that, too. Advertisement 3-Minute Motivators has over 100 simple, fun activities for any grade that will help you use "a little magic" to take a break, engage students, and refocus them on the task at hand. Click here for details! Teacher Book Club TOP Announcing the next selection: Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America, by Helen Thorpe Told against the backdrop of the immigration debate in America, the book is an essential read for educators working with immigrant populations or with students straddling a cultural divide. Author Helen Thorpe details the successes and struggles of these ambitious and bright students as they attend the same Denver high school and make plans to attend college. Keep an eye out for a Book Backgrounder in the next few weeks! Discussion will run the week of Oct. 25-29. Sponsored by Harvard Education Press. It's not too late to register! Sign up for free book club updates and a chance to win a FREE BOOK. New Blog TOP Teaching Now Teacher's newest blog, Teaching Now, is devoted to the latest news, ideas, and resources for teacher leaders. Comments welcome. Check out some of the week's highlights below: N.J. District to Test for the Tests Where Teacher Evaluations Stand to Improve Speaking the Truth About Teachers and Test Scores? The Longest Teaching Career? A Curriculum Just for Boys More Stories TOP Get these and other stories at: www.teachermagazine.org. (Note: Links to AP stories expire in 30 days.) + Race to Top Winners Rejoice, Losers Parse Scores The nine states and the District of Columbia will share $3.4 billion in Round Two of the federal competition, a cash infusion intended to fuel bold education reforms. (Education Week) + States, Districts Mull How to Use $10 Billion in Jobs Aid Some use cash to reverse layoffs, while others plan to hold onto the aid as the stimulus "funding cliff" looms. (Education Week) + Unions' Tactics Diverge in Engaging Obama Agenda The NEA and the AFT try to reconcile their actions vis-à-vis the Democratic administration they backed and its teacher policies. (Education Week) + More Teachers Take Pass on Grading Homework A growing number of teachers have either stopped grading homework or have capped how much it counts toward a student's overall grade, reserving their grade books for in-class work like tests and research projects. + Chicago Schools to Use Online Classes Supervised by Nonteachers In an effort to extend what is one of the nation's shortest school days, Chicago Public Schools plans to add 90 minutes to the schedules of 15 elementary schools using online courses and nonteachers, sources said. + Curriculum Producers Work to Reflect New Standards As commercial vendors and nonprofit groups respond to the common standards, advocates wonder whether alignment claims are on target. (Education Week) + Wash. District to Allow Cellphone Searches to Curb Cyber-Bullying School principals in a Washington district may start looking through cell phones as a way to crack down on cyberbullying, but some students and their parents say the proposed policy is an invasion of privacy. (AP) + Ind. Teachers Push for Early Childhood Education Quality early childhood education is essential for Indiana's youngest residents, according to those involved in the field, yet Indiana is one of eight states to not fund preschool or pre-kindergarten programs. (AP) Commentary + Turning Children Into Data Alfie Kohn offers a skeptic's guide to assessment programs that turn educators into accountants and trivialize their teaching. (Education Week) Commentary + Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? Phillip Harris and Bruce Smith caution against evaluation systems that lead districts to lay off their best and brightest teachers. (Education Week) Discussion TOP The L.A. Times, Student Test Scores, and Teacher Effectiveness Early this week, the Los Angeles Times launched a series that analyzes student test-score data in the Los Angeles district to explore issues around teacher effectiveness. The paper also plans to publish an online database with ratings of more than 6,000 elementary-level teachers based on test-score data. The series and the planned database have set off a firestorm of controversy, raising both privacy concerns and competing arguments surrounding the use of student test-scores to gauge teacher quality. What's your view? Should school district information correlating individual teachers with student test-score data be made public? Why or why not? What role should student test scores play in measuring teacher effectiveness? Join the discussion. Teacher Blogs TOP Living in Dialogue Children Perform Best When Teachers Are Not Focused on Scores Anthony Cody discusses a recent British study that suggests pupils show greater motivation, are better behaved, and are more likely to be independent and strategic thinkers when teachers are not obsessed by grades. The Book Whisperer Book-a-Day Challenge Wrap-up Post Donalyn Miller, recently selected as one of three finalists for Texas' Elementary Teacher of the Year, wraps up her summer Book-a-Day challenge and looks ahead to another incredible school year. A Place at the Table Bright and Shiny Choices Susan Graham has enjoyed the tranquility of her school hallways this summer, but she's excited for the students to return and for commotion to begin once again. Teacher in a Strange Land Whitney Tilson, Banana Republic & Public Education Nancy Flanagan believes that our kids—and our nation—deserve a better way to genuinely invest in public education than a 5 percent kickback on cargo shorts for missionary teachers. Unwrapping the Gifted Multipotentiality With help from her students, Tamara Fisher explores the possibilities of multipotentiality. Road Diaries: 2009 Teacher of the Year Jumping Through Hoops Anthony Mullen believes what states must endure for a chance at Race to the Top funding is doing more to widen the gap between the haves and have-nots than any previous piece of education legislation.	Advertisement View All Top School Jobs + Director of Governmental Affairs, Experience Corps, Washington,DC Advertisement Readers Poll TOP Grading President Obama What grade would you give to President Obama's efforts to improve public education? Add your vote to our online poll. See the results of previous polls. Advertisement Upcoming Chat TOP New Orleans Schools: Five Years After Friday, August 27, 12 p.m. ET As schools open across New Orleans this month, you don’t have to look far for signs of how the public education landscape has changed since Hurricane Katrina struck five years ago. Charter schools, only a small presence before the storm, now serve the majority of public school students. Families have the opportunity to send their children to public schools all over the city under the choice-based system now in place. Our discussion will examine how the unprecedented, state-led effort to reinvent public education in New Orleans is faring five years in, and the challenges ahead. Click here to sign up for an email reminder about this chat. Teacher PD Sourcebook TOP Response to Intervention The Spring 2010 issue of the Teacher PD Sourcebook is now online. This issue covers the increasingly prominent response to intervention framework, including exclusive interviews, data and background, and implementation tips. See the complete table of contents. And don't miss our directory of professional development products and services. Browse resources in Response to Intervention, Differentiated Instruction, Classroom Management, Professional Learning Communities, Project-Based Learning, Special Education, and more. Education Week's Spotlight Series TOP Spotlight on Middle and High School Literacy Many educators are learning that it's not just young children who need help with literacy skills. This FREE Spotlight explores unique strategies and programs for working on literacy with middle and high school students. View the complete collection of Education Week’s Spotlights here. Follow Us: TOP Teacher on Twitter Follow all of the latest Teacher news on Twitter. Teacher on Facebook Become a fan of Teacher on Facebook to stay up-to-date with teacher-related news! Advertisement K-12 Industry Solutions White Papers Planning Guide for Online Learning Blackboard K-12 Campus Management Systems: Special Report SAS What Lies Beneath: Waste APQC Education Importance of Social Networking for Educators Elluminate Help Struggling Readers with a 3-Step Process Recorded Books Improving Literacy in 10 Minutes a Day Take 10 Reading Education Week Events TOP New Orleans Schools: Five Years After Chat Aug. 27, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Sign up for e-mail reminder. Unleashing Technology to Personalize Learning Live Event Oct. 5, 8:30 a.m. Eastern Washington, DC Register now. Unleashing Technology to Personalize Learning Live Event Oct. 8, 8:30 a.m. Eastern Greater Boston, MA Register now.
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